This invention relates to an electric connector device for use in branching and/or terminating signal lines for connecting together a plurality of units and, in particular, a plurality of information processing units.
In an information processing system, as shown in FIG. 1A, main information processing unit 100 is connected to a plurality of information processing terminal units 200 through common lines 300 and 400 to allow a mutual information exchange among information processing terminal units 200. Conventional branch connectors 500 are placed where signal lines 300 and 400 are led out to respective units 200.
Branch connector 500 comprises two connector sections 510 for signal connection, branch connector body 520 and connector section 530 for external connection as shown briefly in FIG. 1A and in detail in FIG. 2. Branch connector body 520 has contact pins 511, 512, 513 and 514 comprising signal connection terminals 501, 502, 503 and 504, respectively, for connection to signal lines 300 and 400, and comprising external circuit connection terminals 505, 506, 507 and 508, respectively. External circuit connection terminals 505 and 506 are connected to each other by connection lines 201a and 201b and to connection line 201 connected to terminal 202 of information processing terminal unit 200. External circuit connection terminals 507 and 508 are connected to each other by connection lines 203a and 203b and to connection line 203 leading to terminal 204 of information processing terminal unit 200. In this way, terminals 202 and 204 at one information processing terminal unit are connected to those at another information processing terminal unit by branched signal lines 300 and 400 to allow a mutual signal exchange between these units.
Information processing terminal unit 200 connected to branch connector 500 is detached, as required, and at the same time connection section 530 is disconnected from branch connector body 520. Upon disconnecting the connection section from the branch connector, signal lines 300 and 400 are separated at the location of terminals 505 to 508 for external circuit connection, as shown in FIG. 1B. Strap connector 700 is attached to branch connector body 520 so disconnected. As shown in FIG. 1A and, particularly in FIG. 3, strap connector 700 is so configured that wires 701 and 702 are connected one between terminals 505 and 506 of branch connector body 520 and one between terminals 507 and 508 at the branch connector body. With the use of strap connector 700 a signal is relayed at the location of the branch connector body so that it is transferred among the units.
Terminating branch connector 600 is connected at a location remotest from main information processing unit 100 such that terminating resistors 603 are soldered between terminals 601 and 602 on printed circuit board 610 and that signal lines 300 and 400 are connected to each other through terminating resistors 603.
In the conventional branch connector, when the information processing unit is to be disconnected from the branch connector, the signal lines will be broken unless the strap connector has to be connected to a branch connector. Furthermore, where the strap connector is inadvertently disconnected, a signal will be interrupted at a location of the branch connector so that a signal exchange among the units through the branch connector cannot be achieved. If any extra information processing terminal unit is to be added at the aforementioned information processing unit system, terminating branch connector 600 is spaced away from both adjacent branch connector 500 and terminal unit 200 so that a new branch connector should be connected between the terminating branch connector on one hand and the new terminal unit 200 on the other hand. In this case, the terminating branch connector has to be newly connected to the new terminal unit to be added, requiring a cumbersome operation.